Victims of Circumstance
by Jinni
Summary: A one night fling results in a special someone in Willow's life. Years later, she finds the odd circumstances of her life changing yet again. WSeverus. HPBtVS crossover.
1. Chapter 1

Title: Victims of Circumstance  
Author: Jinni R  
Pairing: W/Severus Snape  
Genre: BtVS/HP Crossover  
Disclaimer: All things BtVS/AtS belong to Joss Whedon, Fox and/or whomever is currently claiming responsibility for them. JK Rowling owns Harry Potter and its universe.  
Spoilers: Takes place after "Goblet of Fire" in HP 'verse and after Season 5 in the BtVS world. Tara and Willow were just friends. Xander and Anya are still together. Buffy died and was brought back. Willow still experienced some dark magic addiction, but never killed anyone.  
Summary: A chance encounter over the summer brings about some unexpected complications in the lives of two very special people.

x x x Prologue x x x

Sunnydale. The Hellmouth. Seat of all that is evil and wrong in the world.

Or was it?

Severus Snape looked out of the window of the small, shabby hotel he had taken up residence in for his stay in the town, glaring at everything and nothing in particular. What had been going through Dumbledore's mind when he sent him to this place? Far from Hogwarts or even his own summer home. This wasn't how he had wanted to spend his summer break. Not in the slightest.

So how had he ended up here, halfway around the world from the few things he held dear to him?

Oh yes. He was making sure that the Dark Lord's reach hadn't made it this far; that the States were still pristine in their innocence of Voldemort.

And, so far, everything he had seen indicated that this, indeed, was the case. The one sleazy bar he had found that catered to wizards and witches had yielded nothing to make him think that these poor fools even knew about the war that was brewing across the sea, the one that would, if Dumbledore and others weren't careful, one day make it to their own shores and shatter their little worlds.

He sighed, letting the thin curtains on the window swing closed as he stepped back, turning to face his room. There was a double bed, not quite as comfortable as the four-poster he had back at Hogwarts, and definitely a far cry from the luxury he enjoyed in his own home, but it was manageable. A Muggle device on the small desk seemed to be the manner in which he was expected to make his morning coffee, though he had settled for summoning whatever he needed instead of even attempting to try to figure out the machine. Much easier and definitely less frustrating for him that way.

He sat on the edge of the bed, wishing that his exile in this place were over. He wanted nothing more than to apparate back to Hogsmeade and return to the school, make his report and then retire to his own home for the remainder of the summer. A few more days of this and he would be good to go, he assumed. Surely Dumbledore didn't expect him to wait around for the entire break in the vague hopes that he would hear something about Voldemort, when in reality it didn't even appear that this side of the world was even aware enough of the Dark Lord to speak about him on a regular basis.

So what to do tonight? His lesson plans for the next term were done, being the same ones he had used for the last five years. There were no experiments that he could dare attempt within the confines of this tiny room. The same could be said of the potions he needed to stock up on for Poppy. As far as he was concerned, there was absolutely nothing for him to do in this hellish little space.

Which gave him only one option.

Leave the room.

The thought was intriguing. Perhaps he could go back to the wizard bar and order yet another round of drinks while trying to get information; though he was sure now that there was no 'information' for him to get. This was, undoubtedly, one of his most unsuccessful missions ever.

No, the wizard bar was definitely out of the question.

But there was that little place right up the street. Something called 'The Bronze'. It appeared to be somewhere to relax and unwind, though a tad 'young' for his tastes. 

'You're not an old man, yet, Severus.' He reminded himself acerbically. That settled it. He was going to this place. This 'Bronze'. And he would have a drink. Or two. And mix among the Muggles and just live for once.

He glanced in the mirror by the door on his way out, appreciating for the first time the fact that being away from Hogwarts meant that he could do away with certain things. Like perpetually black robes, oily hair and yellowed teeth. All part of the image he had cultivated over the years, the slimy git that no one except the slimiest of students liked. There was no reason for that image here, far away from Hogwarts and everyone he knew. No reason at all to keep up that appearance in a bar full of Muggle men and women who wouldn't know magic if it flew right past their nose.

The shirt he was wearing was dark blue, almost the color of the night sky, and had little silvery buttons. His pants were the same black slacks that he normally wore underneath his school robes; though without those austere garments covering them they actually looked like something quite normal. He could be, he reasoned, any other Muggle man out on the town, looking for a few drinks and maybe some conversation.

He smirked, an expression that was as much 'him' as it was the character he played while at school, and pocketed his room key, locking the door behind him.

Maybe tonight would be interesting, after all.

x x x x

The Bronze was packed for a Thursday night, Willow decided, rolling her eyes as Xander got turned down by yet another pretty girl. This one had been far out of his league, she knew, just like every woman he had tried to approach since breaking up with Anya. It was as though he were trying to make up for all those years that he had been too nervous or shy during high school. The college years were supposed to change you, after all, and even though he wasn't in school, Xander was still determined to change.

"She was too leggy anyway, Xan." Willow comforted him, patting his hand in reassurance as he sat down next to her. He took a sip of his drink, a beer of some sort, before answering.

"Yeah, but she would've been good for dancing with, at least."

Willow shook her head, smirking. "Get Buffy to dance with you."

Xander shook his head. "Nah. She's having too much fun with Tweedle-Dee and Tweedle-Dum over there."

The red head followed the direction he was pointing in with her eyes, chuckling softly at the sight that greeted her. Sure enough, Buffy had found herself a pair of identical twins and was now shamelessly flirting with both of them. She shook her head in silent amazement.

Next to her, she heard Xander whistle. Apparently another girl had caught his eye because he was suddenly up and absent from his chair.

Again.

She sighed.

Why couldn't she be more like Buffy and Xander? Seeking out casual relationships just to pass the time? Not forming emotional bonds? Just living for the moment? Why did she have to over analyze each and every moment of her life?

Well - why couldn't she just stop doing that?

The thought hit her like a slap in the face. There was, after all, no good reason to deny herself the pleasure of someone else's company. She had been a good girl for all of her life and where had that gotten her? No where. Oz had left and Xander had never been interested really to begin with. She was an adult and capable of making her own decisions, or mistakes, as the case may be.

"Carpe diem." She muttered, throwing back the last of her drink and standing up. The bar was crowded but she managed to make it to the front and get a shot of tequila, just the perfect thing to take the edge off. Just what she needed to get the courage to actually 'sieze the day'.

She'd be damned if she went home lonely tonight.

x x x x

His hands were hot on her body. Touching, examining. Caressing. Playing.

It was fire and ice, though she wasn't sure at times if she was the heat or the chill that flashed between them.

She arched up under his touch, her fingers seeking out his dark hair in the equal darkness of the room. The light wasn't necessary; after all, she could remember what he looked like. They had made eye contact through the crowd of The Bronze and had talked for what seemed like forever before leaving together, seeking the solace of his hotel room, only a few blocks up the street.

Their mouths had met, scalding and chilling, equal parts heat and cold; and magic had been made between them.

He was just as needy as she was, and before she had known it they were in bed, exploring each other's skin with their hands, tongues, mouths. His words, spoken with that whispery accent, so silky and smooth, had caressed her just as surely as his hands, enticing her body to new heights. She felt as though he were made for her by the time they consummated that which they had been feeling.

And, as the pleasure washed over her, coursing through her body as he peaked inside of her, she whispered the name he had given her, not knowing if it was the truth or an alias.

"Sev … "

x x x x

In the morning he was gone. A note on the bedside table all that she had to remind her of the night that they had spent, making passionate love time and again, until they couldn't keep their eyes open any longer.

Dearest Angel,

Thank you for one of the most pleasurable nights that I have had in such a very long time. In my life I have little that I can hold to, little that I can grasp that can remind me of the lighter side of things, the hopes and joys and passions which others cling to so freely. I will cherish what we shared during my darkest times and remember that someone touched me with such sweet compassion. Take care in your journeys in life.

Until We Meet Again,  
Sev

x x x x

She held that note the day she found out that she was pregnant, searching over the words for any hint as to who he had been, any clue about where she could find him or how to search for him.

But there weren't any.

Even breaking into the hotel records and going back to who had checked in that night and the nights immediately before had given her no indication of who the father of her child was or how to let him know he was going to be a daddy. There was no one named 'Sev' or anything like it. Just as she had thought, it was an alias. Or else he hadn't registered under his real name at all. Either way, it didn't matter. In the end she had to face the realization that there was no way for her to find this man that she had spent a heated night with. There were no spells that she knew of to help her along this road. Nothing to help find the father of a child that had yet to be born.

She cried, letting Buffy hold her and then Xander, too. Giles would be back from his visit in England all too soon and they'd have to tell him as well. She knew he would be disappointed in her. She was disappointed in herself. Her one night of seizing the day had landed her in a most precarious position.

But she could do it.

"It'll be okay, Wills." Buffy murmured, rubbing soothing circles on the red head's back. She held her while she cried, comforted her while she sobbed in agonized grief. Xander held both of them while they grieved for the life Willow had sacrificed, each planning how to proceed with the future. And, in the end, they made the witch realize the very thing that they had been telling her all along.

Everything was going to be okay.

x x x PART ONE x x x

x x Four Years Later x x

Willow stared down at the letter in her hand and then up at the man that was sitting across from her, confusion marring her normally pretty features.

"I don't understand, Giles."

The former librarian nodded.

"About what I expected seeing as how we never really discussed the world of wizardry." The look on his face said clearly that he regretted that, especially in light of what she had just received, by owl post, only a few short minutes before. He didn't know what had surprised her more, the owl that delivered the letter or the letter itself. The letter certainly wasn't much to look at from the outside, except for the seal that held the bit of parchment together. Red wax burned with a crest of sorts. Giles knew what the crest was immediately, though his red haired protégé wasn't so informed. He had waited with anxiety as she had broken open the wax and read, her eyes scanning quickly over words that he knew were written in the scrawling black calligraphic handwriting he himself had seen so often.

After all, he had been the one to mention her to Albus. Shouldn't he also have mentioned Albus, and all of that world to her, in return?

It was too late now.

"The world of wizardry?" Willow repeated, her confusion multiplying exponentially with each passing moment. "Care to explain Giles?"

He nodded, taking off his glasses and polishing them on the edge of his shirt.

"You'd be surprised to find that the witches and wizards of this world have their own subculture, like many other groups. They have their own businesses, laws, rules and regulations, and schools."

"Like the one that sent this letter?" She asked, holding up the parchment. 

"Yes, like Hogwarts. It is a seven year school, one of a few in Europe, where wizards and witches attend class and learn to control their powers."

Willow shook her head, trying to clear the cobwebs that had been strung between her own frazzled nerves.

"Attend class?" Her eyes flew to the letter. "They want me to teach a class, Giles! That's what the letter says. Well, they want me to assist anyway. And take over when the other Professor retires next year."

He nodded.

"I thought as much. I had mentioned to Albus how adept you were at Charms. It is no big surprise to me that he has sought you out for the position."

"Yes, but." Willow was speechless. She looked from him to the letter and then back to him. This was almost too much to think about. There was a world where she would have fit in, all along. A world of wizards and witches. One where she wouldn't have had to hide her powers or her desire to learn. It was both heartbreaking and exciting at the same time.

And yet, she couldn't help but feel like Giles had betrayed her by keeping it all from her.

"Why --?"

"Didn't I tell you?" He finished the unspoken question with a sigh. "You were nearly out of school by the time you started to exhibit any great powers, Willow. And the wizarding world would have had no place for you. Would you really have wanted to go back to school, for seven more years, at the point where you were almost through?"

"So why do they have a place for me now?"

It was a fair question, Giles conceded.

"Because you are an adult, and have proven yourself time and again in the areas of magic that matter the most. You will, of course, need to learn their ways of doing things. Wandless witches are something of an abnormality in their culture. But that can all be remedied with some study on your part. Albus seemed very interested in having you on his staff -"

It was left unspoken that this could be the godsend that she had been looking for. A job. A job that could last for a long time. Not these fly by night programming jobs that were becoming harder and harder for her to get. Her trust money was almost gone. She needed a source of steady income, if not for herself for -

"Wait!" She cried, shaking her head in disappointment. "I can't, Giles. There's no way they're going to want me there when he finds out I'm a single mom."

Giles could have cried at the sadness in her voice. He knew that she loved her child more than anything and would go to any lengths to provide the best life for the almost four year old. But there were many opportunities that she had missed out on because of her status as a single, struggling mother. She was still trying to finish up with a college degree, one class at a time, in between taking care of the child and working. And it seemed like things were getting further and further out of her reach each and every day, no matter what she did to stop them.

But he was determined that this wouldn't be one of those disappointments she had to deal with.

"Albus is aware that you are a single mother, Willow." He smiled gently at her. "And he, of course, knows that where you go so does your child. Mention it to him when you respond and you will see."

Willow's heart leapt into her throat. She swallowed around the uncomfortable lump of something that felt vaguely like hope and looked into the eyes of her mentor with tears showing in her own crystalline green orbs. There were a million questions going through her mind at that moment. About Hogwarts, the world of the wizards, and a host of other things. But the most important one she could think of at that moment had more to do with reassurance than with a need for knowledge.

"Is this real, Giles?"

x x x x

- Miss Rosenberg,

Please rest assured that we have taken your family status into account and have already made plans regarding the layout of a suite of rooms for both yourself and your child should you choose to accept our offer. We will, of course, make sure that she is educated until such time as she, perhaps, is ready to enter Hogwarts for herself. Everything will be taken care of, you needn't worry.

Shall we get those rooms ready?

Please owl back with your response at your earliest convenience.  
Sincerely,  
Albus Dumbledore  
Headmaster  
-

The letter dropped from Willow's fingers to the ground, a smile growing across her face. She had been so worried when she had sent the owl back with her last concern. So scared that Giles had been wrong and the Headmaster had no intentions of allowing her to bring Sera.

He had been right of course. Giles, that is. She was welcome to bring Sera. They would have their own little suite of rooms in the school. Her precious darling would be able to get an education and, if she grew up to be a witch, could attend school at the same place her mother taught.

Willow sat on the edge of her bed and cried tears of pure joy. This was the miracle she had needed. It was a blessing and she had Giles to thank for it; enough thanks to disregard the resentment she had felt when she found out that there was a world outside of Sunnydale, a world of magic and intrigue.

He was her savior.

She would, of course, need to brush up on her Charms. The books that she had learned from had been old at best, ancient at worst. And she had no doubt that there were more modern ones that she needed to learn and be prepared to teach. A million and one preparations went through her head. There was so much to be done. She needed to plan, to pack, to prepare.

Both herself and -

She turned her head, scowling kindly at the child that was busily playing with her makeup.

"Seraphina Anna Rosenberg!"

The little girl looked up, blinking her dark eyes at her mother. She dropped the lipstick tube she had been busily mixing with an already open bottle of liquid foundation, a guilty look crossing her pale features.

"You must be your father's child more than mine." Willow muttered. "Always trying to mix things together. Maybe he was a chemist?" The question was more for herself than her daughter. Of course Sera didn't know anything about the mysterious man that had done little more than act as donor for an unplanned, but no longer unwanted, pregnancy.

"Not a chemist." Sera snickered knowingly, her mouth set in what could almost be called a smirk. Willow crossed her arms, waiting to see what would come out of her precocious child's mouth this time. 

But it seemed that Sera had said all she wanted to say. The child held out her hands, silently asking her mother to clean off the mess she had made.

And of course Willow complied. She summoned a washrag from the bathroom, wiping off the bits of caked makeup, the mushed lipstick, and the globs of foundation. Staring at the beautiful child before her, she was reminded once again of the man that had entered her life for only one night.

It was difficult not to remember 'Sev' when she looked at Sera. The child was dark haired, dark eyes, and looked nothing like her mother. She even seemed to have inherited that very distinctive nose that Willow remembered all too well from that night more than four years before.

"What wrong?"

Willow blinked, giving her daughter a smile.

"Just thinking, sweetie."

"'Bout?" Was the impertinent response from Sera.

"Mommy got offered a new job. We're going to be moving." She said at last, hoping the child would understand. 

"Good job?" Sera questioned.

"Very good job." Willow affirmed.

"Yay!" Sera cheered, jumping up and twirling in circles. This was her version of a happy dance and infinitely more precious than anything Willow had ever seen any child do before. Or maybe it was just that the child in question in this instance was her child. Did all mothers think that their child was the smartest, brightest, prettiest and most adorable in the entire world?

Definitely.

"Glad you're happy, baby."

"Granpa Giles stays here, right?"

Willow nodded, relieved that the child asked the question without any hint of sadness. She had worried about that. Would Sera react in a strong negative way about leaving the only family she had ever known? But the dark haired young girl nodded to herself with her mother's answer.

"Aunt Buffy and Unca Xander, too?"

"Yes, sweetie. They have to stay here. We'll visit, though."

Sera nodded again, her eyes so much older than her physical age indicated. She gave her mother a childishly comforting smile.

"Yes, we can visit. Can we pack? Don't forget Dusty."

The kitten, Dusty, poked his head out from under the bed at the mention of his name. He scampered over to Sera, waiting patiently for the loving adoration he knew would be lavished upon him at any moment. And so it was, the child patting him adoringly with gentle, sure strokes.

Willow stood, leaving Sera to play with the kitten, and picked up a piece of paper, eyeing the owl that was still waiting patiently for her response. She would need to get him some water and a bit of cracker before he set off again. Flying across the globe had to be tiring. She sat down, pen in hand, and began to compose her response.

x x x x

Dumbledore looked around at his staff, smiling gently at each and every one of them. Classes would be resuming in less than two weeks and everyone had already arrived back, ready to begin the sometimes tedious task of getting prepared for a new term.

"I have some pleasant news for you this evening." The Headmaster began, meeting each teacher's eyes in turn as he scanned around the room. Even Snape, lurking in the dark corner of the room, didn't miss out on cheery look from the elderly wizard.

"We have found an assistant to oversee Professor Flitwick's classes this year. She will be taking over at the conclusion of the year, when he heads off to his well deserved retirement."

The announcement was met with a smattering of applause, mostly because of the large grin on Flitwick's face. It was no secret that he had stayed on for an extra two years at Dumbledore's request while they searched for someone to take over his class. Now that the time was nearly at hand, it seemed that his enthusiasm would be reaching new heights.

"Well then." Dumbledore smiled, winking at Flitwick. "Professor Rosenberg will be arriving in the morning. I trust you will all make her welcome?" An extra hard smile sent Severus' way earned the Headmaster a glare icy enough to freeze water. The other teaches nodded and murmured their acquiescence. "Her daughter will be coming with her, as well. As this will be a new, and perhaps anxious, experience for both of them, try to allow them to acclimate before showing them the true colors of Hogwarts."

This was directed mainly at Snape and then at McGonagall, his smile not quite reaching his eyes. It was clear that he didn't want the newest Professor or her child to get caught up in the bitter rivalry between Gryffindor and Slytherin. At least until she had settled in, that was.

As the meeting continued on, Dumbledore couldn't help but feel as though there was something he was missing, something important that he just didn't know for once; a nagging suspicion that the newest Professor was going to bring with her new troubles and joys. How the students and staff would gasp to know that he wasn't all-knowing, with only a small amount of actual future-seeing being within his grasp. On the subject of Professor Rosenberg, however, everything was cloudy.

As though the Fates themselves weren't quite sure what was going to happen next.

x x End Part x x


	2. Chapter 2

x x Part Two x x

"Why did I wait to do this until the morning I was leaving?" Willow asked herself, scrunching her eyes tight with the beginnings of a headache. She looked around her room, staring at the half open trunk with thinly veiled distaste. Packing was an onerous task, made ever more so by the fact that she had to do it to both her own things and Sera's. And she didn't have a lot of time to get it all done in.

"Best get to it." She muttered, rolling up her sleeves and diving into the closet. Clothes began to fly out, tossed none too gently by their Mistress, into the trunk sitting in the center of the room. She didn't care if they landed in a pile, so long as they were actually in the chest and no longer in her closet. Some of her older or less appropriate items she piled outside the closet door, making a mental note to ask Buffy to send them to Goodwill or some other charity, someone that could make some use of them instead of just tossing them in the garbage.

After the closet came the dresser and then her desk, each and every one of her possessions fitting in the trunk with relative ease thanks to the charms she had already cast on the storage container. Within only a hour's time she had everything in the trunk, ready to go, and was sitting on her bed, her face sad. This had been her home for so long and now she was leaving. Not just leaving the Summers' home, but Sunnydale and the US as well. She was going halfway around the world to teach magic at a school of wizardry. It was thrilling.

And scary.

"Momma? Ready to go?"

Willow looked up, smiling at her daughter. The girl was already dressed in a beautiful hunter green dress that Willow felt set off the child's delicate coloring perfectly. She wondered, just briefly, if Sev ever wore that color; and knew that if he did, he certainly looked handsome.

"Not yet, sweetie. We still have to pack your things." She glanced across the room, at the clock still on the nightstand, and gasped. Dumbledore would be taking down the wards around the school in less than ten minutes! She had taken too long! A sense of dread overcame her, numbing her inside and out as she made a quick mental list of everything she still needed to do. Pack Sera's things. Get changed into her robes. Shrink the trunks.

"Uh uh." Sera shook her head, a teasing smile on her face. "Aunt Buffy already helped me."

That brought a sigh of relief from the red haired witch. She stood up, muttering a shrinking charm over her own trunk. The object dwindled down to only a few inches, small enough to fit in her robe pocket. Now she just needed to change clothes.

"Do mine! Do mine!" Sera hopped up and down, her dark eyes glittering with excitement.

"After I get dressed." Willow told Sera, motioning her out of the room. "Go sit with Aunt Buffy for a few minutes. We're leaving soon."

Sera didn't argue once, taking off down the hall even as Willow shut her bedroom door. Her robes were laid out on the bed, ready and waiting for her to don them. She was wearing black slacks and a button-up white shirt that would suit her well underneath the thin fabric of the dark blue robes she had chosen through a wonderful owl-order catalog Dumbledore had sent to her. She slid them over her clothing, enjoying the satiny insides as they slid over the little skin she had showing.

A few simple spells later and she was ready to go, hair pulled back in a clip with just a touch of makeup applied to her cheeks and eyes. She looked good, if she had to say so herself.

"Planning on meeting a fellow teacher and letting him play daddy to Sera, Rosenberg?" She asked her reflection. She snorted in amusement, shaking her head. At twenty-five years of age she had yet to find anyone that she even felt was remotely capable of being a father to her daughter. None of the men she had dated seemed to have that certain something she was looking for.

Or it could be that she just couldn't get Sev out of her mind.

He still found his way into her dreams, even years after their one and only encounter. He was her private obsession, her dream lover. The one that she would have gladly given up almost anything just to know something about. But she didn't know anything about him and she had given up on the daydream of running into him and starting a family a long, long time ago.

'It's better this way,' she told herself. 'I'm a witch. Sera will be a witch. This just makes things that much easier, not having to explain to him about magic and all that.'

She pocketed her miniature trunk and opened the bedroom door. Stopping by Sera's room, the red head shrunk it down as well, gently depositing it in her other pocket. A few deep, calming breaths, and she made her way down stairs.

Buffy and Xander were sitting on the couch, Sera nestled between them. Willow smiled, capturing the moment in her memories for all of time.

"Ready to go, darling?" 

"I've been ready, Momma." Sera rolled her eyes. 

"Yeah, 'Momma'." Buffy teased. "She's been bouncing up and down, all excited like."

Xander nodded. He was smiling, but his eyes were sad. Willow took the initiative and drew him to his feet and into a tight hug.

"I'll miss you, Xan."

"Miss you too, Wills."

"Yeah, Wills. Me too." Buffy sighed, making the hug three-way. They stayed that way for a minute or two, just holding each other, much to the amusement of Sera who thought that adults could be quite silly sometimes. The sound of someone clearing his throat drew the threesome out of their moment, and Willow smiled at Giles.

"Sera and I will miss you, too, Giles." She told him, embracing him just as affectionately as she had done her friends only a moment before. She pulled back, looking in his eyes with a smile and her voice was clogged with emotion when she opened her mouth again. "Thank you - for everything."

"My girl," Giles murmured. "You deserve this. Make the best of it."

Willow nodded, stepping back and blinking away the tears that were perched precariously in the corners of her eyes. She stepped over to the fireplace, lighting it with a wave of her hand. Soon she would be doing that with a wand, she thought with a twinge of apprehension. A small pouch on the mantle, hardly impressive looking by any stretch of the imagination, was something else Dumbledore had sent to her. He had called it Floo powder. It was to be her biggest blessing - making it so that she wouldn't have to amuse Sera on first a trans-continental and then a trans-atlantic flight. All she had to do was toss some in the flames, step in and say "Hogwarts Staff Room" and she'd be there almost instantly.

A nice little piece of magical convenience, in her eyes. Definitely a money-saver as far as plane tickets were concerned.

"Okay." Willow breathed. "I'll go through first. Sera - wait here with Granpa Giles until he sends you through, okay?"

Sera nodded with her with all the seriousness of a near four-year-old. 

"Give me a couple minutes and then send her through, Giles."

The man that had been like a father to her for most of her adult life smiled kindly, patting her shoulder. He would cry when the day was over, she knew. But for now he was being strong, and that's what she needed.

"Go on, then."

Willow nodded and took a pinch of the Floo powder. She tossed it into the flames, waiting until they took on a green tinge, before stepping in and calling out her destination.

x x

"I really do not see why you need all of us here, Headmaster." Severus Snape sighed in frustration, leaning back in one of the many chairs the staff room had to offer. His dungeons were waiting for him, the potions he had been brewing all held in a state of stasis while he attended this blasted welcoming thing. "Professor Rosenberg will no doubt find it quite intimidating to be greeted by so many people."

Dumbledore smiled kindly, the knowing twinkle in his eyes brightening a notch.

"Or it may show her that she is welcome. Besides, Severus, there are not that many of us. Certainly not enough to be intimidating." He reminded his Potions Professor. The words were not harsh, but his tone brooked no room for argument. He turned back to the fireplace, watching apprehensively. She would be here any moment now. Around the room the other Professors were chatting amicably. No one except Severus seemed to have a problem with this. Everyone else had thought it was a grand idea to welcome the new teacher with a small welcoming party. There were drinks and snack cakes on the table, just waiting for the welcoming to begin.

All they needed now was their newest Professor.

x x

Severus stood up, automatically, as the embers of the fireplace blazed, a young woman stepping out. She sneezed, momentarily hiding her face from his view. But when she looked up --

His heart caught in his throat, the sight of her face bringing back memories he had cherished for over four years. There she was, smiling nervously as the Headmaster greeted her. His angel. His Willow. The one woman in so many years that had given herself willingly to him for pleasure and comfort. That night stayed with him, played out in vivid detail in his dreams on a regular basis. The feel and smell of her skin, the way she tossed her hair or laughed. Those green eyes that he had felt could see into his very soul.

He hadn't known she was a witch. Of course deep, meaningful conversations hadn't been on the menu that night. They had both been seeking the pleasure of another body, and they had found it. Time and again. Over and over until the coming dawn forced him to flee as she drifted off to sleep. The memory of that night was one of the only things that kept him going when times got dark. He could always look back upon it and remember that, when he wasn't acting the arrogant, cold bastard, he was someone to be cared for. Someone had cared and could care again.

She had cared.

And now she was here.

A flash of anger coursed through him for the briefest of moments, directed at his beloved Headmaster. He had to have known about that one night stand. Dumbledore was, of course, just meddling in his life again.

No, the rational part of his mind argued. There was no way Dumbledore could have known about that night. No way he could have tracked down that heavenly angel for him because not even he knew how to contact her ever again and he had given her no way to contact him, either. It had been better that way.

"I'd like to introduce you to the staff." Dumbledore was saying now, as Severus Snape tried to compose himself, tried to look for any way to get out of the room without earning himself a glare or reprimand from the Headmaster. There was no way, of course, so he stood stock still, waiting. Dumbledore began across the room from, giving Severus another brief minute of respite before -

"Sev?"

Her voice, exactly as he had remembered it, cut through the memories that were threatening to overwhelm him. He looked up into her eyes and felt himself melt, knees weak, just as he had so many years before in a Muggle bar in the heart of Southern California. He licked his lips.

"That is your name, right?" She whispered; and her face looked just as stunned as his own. He could almost hear her heart racing in tandem with his own and wished for all the world that they were alone, that he could speak with her. Anything other than being in the room with his colleagues and a Headmaster that looked, as if he couldn't be more shocked. It was, in a way, relieving to know that Dumbledore didn't know everything; though he would have preferred to find it out in some other way.

"Yes." Severus murmured. He clenched his hands, willing himself not to reach for her, not to take her in his arms and ascertain for himself whether she was real or simply a figment of his overactive imagination. He licked his lips, bowing his head in an introduction he had never formally given. "Severus Snape. Potions Master."

Willow nodded, eyes wide with wonder, her breaths coming in short, painful gasps around the lump of heart in her throat. The room was still, absolutely quiet. A pin could have dropped and they would have had no trouble hearing it. No trouble at all. Her breath caught in her throat completely, though, as the sound of the fire roaring up behind her reminded her of someone far more important than herself and the man she had never thought to see again.

Sera.

"Momma?"

The red head's eyes widened almost impossibly larger and time seemed to slow to a crawl. She turned her back on Severus. A large chair blocked their line of sight from here, hiding someone as short as a child. So he hadn't seen her.

Yet.

The Professors on the other side of the room had, however. And they hadn't missed the exchange between herself and Severus, either. She could tell by the looks on their faces as she walked to the fireplace that they had put two and two together. It was hard not to do just that, given the resemblance Sera had to her father. She lifted the girl into her arms, praying for strength in this room full of people she had only just met, and turned back to Dumbledore and Severus, a shaky smile on her face.

"I'd like to introduce you all to my daughter, Seraphina."

x x

" - my daughter, Seraphina -"

Severus Snape felt as though his entire world had just fallen out from beneath him. His eyes were locked on the child, held so protectively in her mother's arms. Black hair, dark eyes and pale skin. A nose that had run in his family for centuries. Was there any doubt who's daughter she was? And, as if he needed more proof, she even appeared to be the right age. Somewhere between four and three, just as it should be if she had been conceived that night.

He sat down heavily, eyes still fixed on the woman and child that were even now approaching him. He broke contact for just a moment to look at Dumbledore, and saw a look of pure shock. There was no way he had even had a hint as to who Willow was. Not if he was this shocked.

And then they were there, kneeling before him. His angel and -

"Well, then, Severus Snape." Willow murmured, not bothering to lower her voice. Everyone had guessed already, anyway. And Sera would take it well; she had always wanted to meet her elusive father.

"I'd like you to meet your daughter."

For the first time in his life, Severus didn't have a witty retort or a scathing comeback. He had nothing to say as he held out his hand, rubbing a thumb along Sera's cheek as she smiled brilliantly at him.

"Well," Dumbledore murmured, almost to himself. "Nice to know I am not the only one that had no idea this was coming."

x x Part Threex x 

While Dumbledore found the entire introduction to be flooring, though mildly amusing; Severus Snape found it to be no such thing. He was scared, terrified even, of this small child. The beautiful black eyes staring back at him were just like the ones he saw every single time he looked in the mirror; crystalline in their dark depths, capable of being haunting and filled with a wealth of emotion at the same time. Her black hair, bound in a ponytail of some sort, had escaped in places, wisps of the feathery looking stuff framing her pale, childlike face. His own mother had hair like that.

Sera's grandmother.

Oh, Merlin. He was going to have to tell his mother about Sera. How in the world was he going to manage that?

'You see, mum, I had this one night stand with this adorable little muggle a few years back. Turns out she's not a muggle and I got her quite thoroughly knocked up. Want to meet your granddaughter?'

That would not go over well, at all.

He sat back, eyes closed, a million and one questions going through his mind though he was loathe to put any to voice with all of his colleagues standing around, gaping at his shock. His mouth opened and closed but nothing came out, words escaping the usually witty, if not often sarcastic, Professor. He was aware of Willow; still kneeling in front of him with Sera perched precariously on her knee. Without even opening his eyes he could picture the delightful witch that had spent a night of passion with him so long ago, when he had thought her to only be some cute Muggle college student. Being this close he could smell her delicate fragrance, still vanilla based after all these years. Try as he might, even with the very real evidence of his indiscretion sitting in front of him, Severus couldn't find it within him to regret one single moment of that night. It was one of the few things he could think of as he lay on the ground, wracked by the pain of the Cruciatus at Voldemort's feet, that gave him the strength to get up and keep going.

"I think it would be best," he heard Dumbledore murmur. "Considering the recent shock, if we hold off on welcoming Professor Rosenberg until dinner tonight."

There were whispers of assent and the sound of movement. A door opening and then shutting again after the last teacher had left.

"You can open your eyes now. They're gone."

Severus opened his eyes hesitantly. He sat up, looking around the room. Even Dumbledore was gone, leaving him completely alone with Willow and Sera.

Sera, who looked for all the world as though she were going to burst if she didn't say something very soon; but that was still quietly biding her time for the right moment. He moved his eyes from the child to the woman holding her, the red head's slight smile melting the shock that had encased his heart.

"Do you want to talk later?" Willow asked, hesitant. He was shocked, as was his right, and she wanted to give him time to think about what he already knew without forcing him to talk if he wasn't ready. This had to be what amounted to one of the biggest shocks in his entire life. It wasn't every day that you found out you had a daughter that was almost four years old. The wrong words or tone of voice could be disastrous at this point, especially in front of Sera.

And the last thing she wanted was for something -else- unforeseen to happen today.

"Who's he?" Sera asked, her voice the voice of innocent and reason in the trouble moment.

"He's -" Willow paused, her eyes fluttering frantically to Severus'. Did she tell Sera? Risking the fact that the man sitting so still in front of her may not want anything to do with the adorable bundle of joy in her arms? The Goddess only knew how long Sera had wanted a 'Daddy', someone like the other children had. Xander had been a good surrogate for a while, but Sera had still known that he wasn't her Daddy. He apparently saw the question she was silently throwing to him, and responded for her.

"Your father, Sera." He murmured. His dark eyes were fixed on the child's face again, searching for any sign that he had upset her with his words. Not even a half hour into meeting her and he was already vying to make her happy, to have her approve of whom he was and what he was to her. His students would no doubt fall out of the chairs, or just plain dead, in shock. "I am your father."

Sera regarded him for a long moment; her lips pinched together in a thin line that was so much like his own pensive expressions that Severus almost laughed out loud. He took a deep breath as she opened her mouth to finally speak, realizing for the first time that he had been holding it in to begin with.

"Are you a chemist?"

"Am I a - ?" The query came out more confused than he had intended, his normally unflappable feathers once again becoming ruffled. He looked from the child to her mother and then back again, not getting the joke that was so apparently passing between them.

Willow laughed, the sound musical in the empty, stressful atmosphere of the staff room. Trust Sera to come up with the icebreaker that they needed. She bit her lip, the weight of Sera on her knee finally getting to her, causing her back to ache in painful spasms. She didn't want to interrupt their conversation, though; so she waited patiently for a good time to set Sera down again.

"Are. You. A. Chemist?" Sera asked again, her eyes dark with annoyance. He may be her 'father', but he was just as silly as any other guy. Maybe even sillier than Uncle Xander! She crossed her arms, waiting with all the patience she could afford for him to answer her question.

"No." Severus replied this time, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. "Why?"

"Mommy said you might be one because I like mixing things together. But I told mommy that you weren't a chemist." She turned her face up to Willow's, smiling as brightly as only a child who had just won an 'argument' could. "See, mommy, told you he wasn't a chemist."

Willow snorted, giving into the smile that had been hiding behind the worried press of her lips. She looked from Severus to Sera and then back again, shaking her head. To think that she had gotten out of bed with every intention of arriving at her new workplace and getting ready for the upcoming semester. She had never in a millennium imagined that she would see Sera's father again, after more than four years; much less that she would be sitting in front of him, her daughter interrogating him on exactly what it was that he did for a living.

"I am a Potions Master." Severus explained gently to the child, leaning forward. He rested his elbows on his knees so that he could be closer to her level. "I mix things together, much like a chemist."

"So -" Sera frowned. "Mommy was right?"

And now Severus found it within himself to laugh. It was hard not to, looking into her dark, sparkling eyes, so full of mischief and intellect. Right now it was apparent that the idea of her mother being right in this subject was not sitting very well with the child, and so he appeased her.

"No. Mommy was not right."

"Oh! Good!" Again the smile returned, just as bright as before.

Willow sighed, seeing her chance at getting up from the floor. She set Sera gently on her own two feet and stoods, a pained expression on her face. She turned trying to hide it from Severus. There was no reason for him to know that she'd been hurting herself, kneeling like that with Sera's weight in her arms. But he was too quick, too sharp.

"Your back?"

Willow turned back to him and nodded, a strained smile on her face.

"Poppy has something for back pains." He paused before offering. "Or I can bring something by your rooms in a bit?"

He was, Willow realized, looking for a reason to come by and visit, to probably talk. It was a polite way of ushering her to her rooms so that she could rest, while still ensuring that he would get to speak with her, at length, later that same day.

"Bringing some by would be heaven." She murmured, suddenly shy. "It's been a busy morning. Sera could probably use a N-A-P."

Sera jerked her head up, her fingers still holding onto the sleeve of Severus' robe that she had just been playing with. She frowned at her mother, her mouth set in a scowl.

"I know what N-A-P, means."

Willow smiled indulgently at her child, rolling her eyes good-naturedly for Severus' benefit.

"Of course you do, sweetie."

"And --?" Sera prompted imperiously.

"And you're still going to take a nap." She was smiling, but her tone didn't give any leeway for disagreement from her daughter. Out of the corner of her eye Willow could see Severus smile and a warm feeling filled her, a sort of pride that he seemed to find her parenting methods okay so far.

Not that she needed his approval or disapproval, she reminded herself. She was a single mother before this and she was well prepared to stay that way if he wasn't up to the task of being a daddy to Sera. She wasn't looking to drag him back to her bed or anything, though the idea did have merit (he had been terribly brilliant in that department). But the idea of him playing daddy to Sera was nice, even if that was as far as their own relationship ever got. She could be single. That was fine with her.

Though, now that she mentioned it, getting him bed again would be great.

First things, first, though.

"Can you come by in, say, an hour, with that back ache remedy?"

"Potion." 

"Hmm?" She murmured, arching an eyebrow at her.

"It's a potion, not a 'remedy'. Try not to make it sound so mundane."

Willow smirked, shaking her head. So her mystery lover was a bit of a wizarding elitist, was he? Didn't like 'ordinary' things? What term had Giles used for it? Muggle?

Good thing neither herself nor Sera were very ordinary.

"Fine, then." She grinned at him. "Potion. Will you come by in an hour with the potion?" She resisted the nagging urge to stick her tongue out at him, instinctively knowing by his mannerisms that he wouldn't appreciate the playful, yet childish, gesture. He seemed far unlike the man she had taken to her bed that night - not as playful, definitely less talkative and warm, and his appearance was somewhat different from what she remembered as well. 

But he still looked good in her book.

"Yes, Professor." He smirked, standing in one easy, liquid motion. "I will bring the potion to your room in an hour."

"Thank you." She murmured. She looked down at Sera, holding out her hand to the child. A treat was definitely in order for the stellar behavior she had exhibited so far, though Willow knew it was mostly due to being overwhelmed - new home, new people, and a new Daddy. So much for a child to take in all at once. Willow had a feeling it would all erupt in one way or another at some point in the very near future.

'Hopefully not in a temper tantrum.'

The red haired witch threw another smile at Severus, offering a silent thanks to him for letting her stall the inevitable talk they would need to have, and started towards the door.

Only to stop dead in her tracks.

She turned back to him, a blush creeping across her face.

Severus arched an eyebrow at the beauty that was blushing so elegantly in front of him, waiting for her to say what was so obviously on her mind. He could only pray that it wasn't one of the many questions he knew he would need to answer before the day was over - he too needed some time to compose himself before their talk began.

Thankfully, though, it was nothing of the sort.

"Do you know where exactly my rooms would be?"

x x End Parts 2-3x x


End file.
